Hunter's Crossing: Bird's of a Feather
by T-Cell
Summary: Some ties are formed in the name of safety or for power. But these ties can soon become as dangerous as the threats they kept sewn shut. As one wrong step can turn this maze of ties, this maze of secrets, into a noose around our neck.


_**Welcome to the new story. Now before you read on, I must inform you this is a companion piece to my other stories based on F-zero and Metroid.**_

_**The links for the Metroid story and the F-zero story will be at the bottom of the page and I'll make sure the link is in every chapter for easy access. I also will put down other story links down below if you are interested. Those won't be on any every chapter. I just like a little bit of shameless self promotion not an large amount.**_

_**Note: Hyperlinks are staying when I post the some all you need to do is paste the info on the bottom with the URL of the site.**_

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Hunter's Crossing

Chapter 1

The air was heavy with the scent of bile and spirits. Even as vents filtered thick smog of smoke from the air. The earth and wet scent hung on the air. Woman and men dressed in small attire, tight and fitted, walked around carrying large trays with dark bottles of ale and whiskey around. Multiple stages have a variety of shows going on. Some with humanoid creatures danced on poles to more gelatinous creatures doing a variety of odd tricks that must be arousing to their own kind. Across the room in a dark corner, a man dressed in an old blue uniform drank a cold bottle of blonde ale. It's scent smooth and earthy. He glanced around at the scenery. Nothing to interesting to him besides a few of the waitresses, a petite red-haired woman approached with another bottle of air. She winked at him. He smiled at her. He noted her appearance and the color motif she wore to fit her given name. She wore a maroon skirt with a very dark red, almost black, fishnet stockings to match her red heels. She wore a very sheer black top that exposed her red bra. Her lips covered in a fiery red lipstick. Her name was none other than Blair the Flair. Almost comically stupid, he thought, but at least she didn't have a bar-code behind her left ear as some of the others did.

Besides the employees, though some were more like servants, the clientele was just as colorful. Creatures ranging from bestial to humanoid stared and gawked at the entertainers and the wait staff. The man sighed. His attention was mostly captured by the large holograms and the bright colors they blasted. At least the images they portrayed were genuine in their lies. The commercial that was showing quickly switched to a news story. The two hosts were bluish-green arthropods and they began to chat about a recent race. The man readjusted a small piece of metal in his uniform's popped collar. The chattering of the hosts mandibles soon began to translate.

"So tell me?" muttered the host with the large mandibles, "what do you think about that last lap of the race?" The other arthropod waved her jointed hand at the other. Her smaller mandibles chattered.

"It was very exciting," the hostess continued, "I wasn't shocked to see the two main leaders of the race but the newcomer really did turn some heads." The host patted his hands together. The sound of his exoskeleton chinking against itself rattled the audio.

"Very true," he chittered, "He really did blast passed most of the racers in his sleek black vehicle." The hostess nodded, "Let's watch the replay." The host and hostess soon became a small section of the screen as the rest of the screen turned blank for a second and switched to a racetrack. Large paths of specialized metal mixed with powerful magnets to create a strong magnetic field. In a split second three large vehicles raced passed the stationary camera. The screen quickly switched to a satellite feed that followed the three vehicles kilometers ahead of the other vehicles in the race.

"Look at the leader of the three," the host pointed towards a blue vehicle with sleek front and wings on the side that shoot straight up. Behind it, two machines fought for a spot to move ahead of it. One was a solid pink and bullet-shaped machine. The other was a sleek black and slim. It oddly had two pairs of wings attached together. A bright blue light glimmered from the underside of each machine as they created a powerful electromagnetic field to stay above the road. "As you can see the family favorite, Captain Falcon, in his signature Blue Falcon has a steady lead in front of his main competitor Samurai Goroh and the newcomer." The hostess brought her jointed fingers to her mandibles.

"Did we ever get the newcomer's name?" the host shook his head.

"No, after well," he pointed towards the screen below them. A large part of the road the three racers were on began to flicker. The blue light that showed the magnetic field was in place dimmed out and then a large explosion ripped apart the powerless section. The newcomer's machine's wings detached. Sparks coming from the metal as the wings unfolded. It's underside released a powerful electromagnetic pulse and lifted into the air. It jolted the Blue Falcon and the Fire Stingray, Goroh's machine. The Fire Stingray pulled back but the Blue Falcon rushed forward. It released an EMP and redirected it's thrusters to be at an angle. The Blue Falcon pierced through the air and above the newcomer's vehicle. When the Blue Falcon began to descend, it's underside begin to bright as it forcefully attached to the top of newcomer's.

"Look at that finesse!" The hostess chirped. The Blue Falcon reversed the polarity of its magnetic field and forced the Falcon higher and the newcomer's machine down. The newcomer ejected from his machine and the force of the ejection forced it to swerve in the air. The Blue Falcon deactivated its magnetic field and released a powerful pulse as it neared the rest of the track. The Fire Stingray rushed over the chasm and used the fallen newcomer's machine magnetic field to stay in the race. "See that's why everyone loves Captain Falcon." The hostess chirped.

"Winning while keeping things clean," The host chittered, "by taking out the cheaters and evening the playing field once again." The hostess laughed though it sound more lake scraping metal.

"For him to do that he had to fly blindfold-" The screen pattered out as a large stocky man grimaced. With a rising sun bandanna on his head and dark sunglasses, he bellowed.

"I'm more than an equal for that little birdy!" he laughed. He drew a large katana and sliced apart a table. The cut was clean and not a single splinter of wood broke from the wood. "I'm the great Samurai Goroh!" The table he sat at clapped for him. Lackeys and servants, the woman had a demure smile on her face and was dressed in a kimono. She was an oddity among the flamboyant colors and materials of the bar's employees. Though it was her grace that made her stand out more than anything else, she called to Goroh. His face soften and he began to quiet down. The man in the corner smiled.

"For all his bravado, he's a good man if not a bit misguided." He whispered. The hostess, Blair the Flair returned, she winked at him again and drank from a glass. Her red lipstick stuck to its top. She placed a piece of paper on the table and placed the stained bottle on the paper. The man picked up the bottle and smelled it. He placed the bottle down and watched the woman walk away. He watched how here hips swayed. With a quick motion, he drew his pistol and shot a single bolt at her. The entire bar went silent with eyes wide as the second the bolt hit the waitress. Goroh grinned.

Mechanical fluid dripped and sparks flew from the waitress's robotic body. Her, it's head rolled on the ground.

"You should find the real waitress," the man called out, "She'll probably be grateful." He cracked the glass, "and make sure you check the spirits if they are clean. Poison isn't good for your clientele. " He smiled, "Or at least that's what I'm told." One of the barkeepers called in security who quickly removed the robotic doppelgänger. All the employees rushed to check their product for tapering and to find the missing waitress. In time, all was cleared up. Blair had only a few bruises on her arms. She came up to the man in the corner and thanked him. She also gave him a fresh bottle of ale. The eldest barkeeper stood by the waitress's side.

"That's our finest dark ales," she muttered, "been aging for a couple centuries." The man just smiled and remained quiet. Soon the entire room fell back into its old motions. No one blinked at the singed spots on the floor from the sparks. The door of the bar opened wide. The man in the corner raised an eyebrow at the person in the doorway. All eyes turned to this person. He half-expected this person to be a giant but it was just the figure's presence. This person had purpose in each step. The clanking of the figure's boots seemed to echo in the quiet. But the presence wasn't what caught the man's attention it was the figure's eyes. They were blue but that was transitory. It wouldn't matter their color but the message they sent. These eyes…they knew what they wanted. Theses eyes…they will get what they want. "A person who gets things done." He muttered as the figure sat across from the man in the corner.

"I was told by a shared friend that you have information for me," the man noticed what the figure was dressed in. A deep verdant green and on the figure's breast and shoulder was the mark of the Galactic Federation. It was the old insignia, before the merge of the Interpol Confederates and the human-specific Galactic Federation.

"You know," he took a swig of his drink. "You are pretty direct for such a soft and pretty voice." His voice was loud and deliberate. The figure, she was not amused. Her lips frowned. Some of the clients began to talk again.

"I'm not here for a friend," she muttered. The man noticed her posture and small details about her face. Blonde hair, a mole under the left side of her lip, and her posture; she did not know how things worked inside the Federation lines.

"I'm just trying to help," he whispered. He remained in his leaned back posture. The woman tried to see his face but it was shrouded. "You cannot come in gun's a blazing especially when the game has its own rules." He grinned, "I'm not looking for friendship," his voice rose again, "maybe something more playful?" She leaned forward. Her frown turned into a smile. The crowd's sound was almost back to normal. Only a few eyes remained. They looked at them like daggers ready to stab.

"Really? Is it a game of cat and mouse," She took the bottle from him and drank from it, "I always like a good mouse." She cooed. The man smiled. "Is this playing the game?" She whispered.

"Good," He whispered back, "just a little longer." The man snapped his finger, "Waitress, two glasses for my kitty and me," He bellowed, "I need to get her licking." Blaire dropped a pair of glasses and a new bottle for them. The man noticed an oddly out-of-place stain on his bottle: muted lipstick. The woman noticed the people around them seemed to calm down. Even Goroh shrugged it off and began to bellow and laugh about his antics.

"What was that all about," She whispered. She kept her pose and her false smile.

"People here like their business private," he chuckled, "and they like others' business public. Everyone here has secrets, lass."

"Even you?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Especially me," he grinned. "So I'm pretty sure you're here about the new power battery project. Project: MAX."

"No, I wanted to know about what the Federation has planned for the X-parasite." She whispered. He chuckled.

"That's this project. Project: Metroid Assimilation of X parasite" he smiled, "imagine a battery where decaying organic material is fed to the X Parasite and the Metroid feeds on the parasite. Food allows the Metroid to produce energy and the federation has the means for infinite energy." He filled the glasses with the ale. "And a biological weapon that they can control by releasing powerful EMP to deactivate all electronics and stranding the enemy with a highly pervasive and prolific parasite that when harvested can make a wonderful resource to rebuild a colony." She gritted her teeth.

"But that can easily get out of hand!" She kept her voice low as she seethed with rage.

"If it comes down to that they will just release a gamma burst on the planet. Poof. Entire planet sterilized." He motioned, "Not even a Metroid can absorb pure radiation." She tightened her first, "But it's not fair to either creature." She raised an eyebrow at him, "What?" He grinned, "Nothing deserves extinction. Nature is already a tough mother. She needs no help from her most dangerous children."

"So how do I stop it?" She asked. He sighed.

"You play the game." He smiled. He pulled a piece of metal out of his pocket. "In this file are the directions to get a piece of the puzzle."

"Only a piece?" She asked, "I'm not going to go on some wild goose chase."

"You cannot just barge in on the masterminds of this project. You have to discredit them and to expose them." He grinned, "You need to lay the ground work." He chuckled, "You're not hunting space pirates or hunting a dangerous organism outside of Galactic Federation space. You have to watch where you step so your target doesn't hide among the billions of people on one of the thousands of habitable planets and space stations." She grabbed the piece of metal and pocketed in her jacket.

"How do I get this person to trust me? After all, you make this sound like a shaky topic." She asked. "I doubt this person will just give a random person something this," she paused, "touchy." He nodded.

"Tell them Douglas sent ya," he smiled.

"Is that who you are?" She asked.

"No." He smiled, "But what's in a name?"

"Plenty." She said blandly. The man laughed.

"True," he got up and offered his hand. "We have to walk out together so these characters don't know they've been played." She grabbed his hand. As she got up, he whispered to her, "Remember to play the game, Miss Samus Aran."

She placed a hand on her hip. She opened up the information by pressing a device in her ear. She sighed. "This is the place." She was surprised by the broken down building. It was unlike the others. Made of rusted metal and hidden in the shadows of the sleek metal buildings attached to it. She thought it would stick out but its size made it extremely easy to overlook. The large buildings that flank it bury it in their presence. She knocked on the door. The metal door screeched. It moved very little as a dull eye peeped from behind it.

"What'd you want!" the voice shouted, "I ain't paying for 'nything! Especially to the Federation!" Samus crossed her arms. He must have seen the Federation insignia on her old uniform.

"I was sent here by a Douglas." Samus stated. She notice the eye twitch. There was silence.

"Douglas…" The door opened. A very thin bony man stood in the doorway. "Sergeant Douglas has been dead for ten years…" She flinched at this. So he wasn't lying. Samus noticed a worn marking on the man's coat and the odd size of it. It was larger than the man. "It must be him though. He's a hawk you know…" He grumbled as he motioned Samus in. "Always attacking when you least expect it. He reminds me of my old pupil…" the old man sighed, "But he's dead too."

"I'm sorry if I brought up painful memories," Samus smiled, "I know what it's like to lose so much." The man suddenly turned to her. He glared into her eyes with his one good eye.

"Aye…" he muttered. "I can see the truth in your eyes…the pain in them too." He grumbled. He walked up on an old desk. He sat in his worn chair and pulled out a large pile of papers. She wondered why he held on to such archaic technology. "So what'd you want?" He muttered as he leafed through his papers.

"I'm looking for information on Project MAX." He nodded his head.

"You're in luck." He gruffed, "Black Shadow doesn't have any skin in that." She leaned onto her left leg.

"Why is that important," Samus asked. The man chuckled and coughed.

"So you're one of 'em." He chuckled, "First time dealing with internal affairs. You must have made one hell of an impression on 'im." He coughed, "Black Shadow helped orchestrate the merge of the Interpol and the Federation. Liked the idea of having a big shadow to hide in." He pulled out papers of three names. "Could've been stopped. But the three boys that got 'em paid big time." He pushed the papers to her. "Take 'em. Seeing them makes me teary eyed." Samus hesitated. She didn't see any amenities: no bed, no indoor plumbing, no security.

"You don't live here," Samus hoped for a no, "Do you?"

"Nah," the bony man muttered, "but since my wife died and my kids have grown and left. I just have my thoughts. They just yell at me…on how I couldn't save 'em. My boys…" He grumbled. "Being in 'ere, it quiets those voices," He tossed another piece of paper. "And here's the info ya wanted. Now, get goin'." He waved her away. "You got to ask your Douglas who he is." Samus nodded. "Ya can't trust a man with no name." She looked over the pages as she left: Sergeant Douglas, Lieutenant Jay and Captain. She wondered why Captain had no name. Not only that, she had questions for the strange man.

The seedy atmosphere seemed to lighten up this time. There were fewer ships with noticeable tags or insignias. Maybe I could have used my ship instead of this rental, Samus thought. She got out of the grey machine. It's sides completely free of any markings and completely unremarkable. She patted on her new outfit. She remembered it was originally a joke. A black dress for her, she would never use it. When would she have the time? Never. She sighed, "Well I guess now is never." She noticed some of the waitress and waiters entering from the side. Samus paid attention to their gaits. She opened the door and copied their walk. A few eyes turned to her but they soon got bored. She noticed the man in the corner again. She quickly closed the gap without breaking character and sat down.

"So did," Samus cut him off.

"Who are you really?" She demanded. "Taking the name of a dead man isn't very," he raised his right hand up.

"But good ole' Commissioner wouldn't have let you in otherwise. He's very particular but he has a way with always doing the best thing for his children." Samus paused. She remembered he called the three deceased officers his boys. He must treat his compatriots as his children.

"But you brought up painful memories," she asked. He sighed. He was taking a while. Did I hit a sore spot, she thought.

"You and I both know painful memories don't have to be brought up. They just haunt us." He muttered. She didn't argue with him. She could hear the weight of his past on his voice. It was like the very air he spoke was chained to the earth. Hell, even the old commissioner mentioned how the voices haunted him. "I knew all three of those men. Douglas was shot in the back from friendly fire." He paused. "The officer was court martialed but before he could stand trial he disappeared." He breathed deeply, "A couple months later they found him." He paused, "Dead and burnt," He drank from his bottle, "Jay was shot thirty-four times by laser fire in his limbs on patrol. His attackers specifically avoided doing any possible fatal wound. He died from plasma poisoning. A gruesome way to die." He gritted his teeth.

"What about the captain?" She asked. He smiled.

"He was executed for treason." The man shook his head, "the fluid meant to sedate him to death was laced with a special symbiont that made his skin become coated with flammable oils with a flame retardant underneath the first layer of skin. The oil caused the electronic machine to spark and he was lit on fire. He was burning alive for twenty whole minutes before the sedative finally was able to kill him." The man slammed his fist on the table. "That was all Black Shadow's doing.

She bit her lip and glanced down. "I'm sorry that," she paused. She seemed to have this knack about bring up old painful memories, "I'm sorry that your friends died." He shrugged.

"Douglas and Jay are remembered for their service." He chuckled, "Heroes! Dead heroes," he drank, "But the captain? He was erased from the databases and his name removed from the files. Combine this fact that no one called him by his real name." He paused, "No one remembers who he was. That's worse than death. To be forgotten." He grinned. "They only remember that he hunted criminals like a bird of prey." He chuckled. "That's why he had so many nicknames." He paused, "The Eagle." He smiled. "The Hawk." He took a swig of his drink. He grinned widely. His teeth shined in the light. "The Falcon."

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F-zero:

s/11150815/1/Hunter-s-Crossing-Phoenix-s-Flight

Metroid:

s/11150847/1/Hunter-s-Crossing-Dove-s-Dive

Pokemon Generations:

s/9846273/1/Pokemon-Generations

Fire Emblem:

s/10157397/1/Of-the-Cursed-and-Of-the-Blessed


End file.
